One Of America's Cleanest Lakes Is Nestled Within Minnesota's Pristine Forest

Up in the wild woods of northern Minnesota, the rising sun reflects on the stunningly clear waters of a massive lake. Here, you can see an impressive eight feet down through the water to view fish darting below the surface. This is the picturesque Winnibigoshish Lake. Its name comes from an Ojibwe word that means something like dirty water, but don't be deceived. This lake may be one of the cleanest in the entire United States.

Winnibigoshish Lake is located in the Chippewa National Forest, which stretches for 1.6 million acres up to the Canadian border. When you hear the word forest, you might picture towering trunks and verdant canopies making the light along the trails dappled and green. You will certainly find plenty of scenes like this in a remarkable place like Chippewa, but the heart of the land here isn't the trees. It's the water. This is one of the wettest national forests in America. Some of the water from this wild landscape will rush all the way down the majestic Mississippi River, while some will flow out into the cold, clear Hudson Bay to reflect the Northern Lights. Still more will spread out into the wetlands, streams, and lakes within the forest. The largest lake, Winnibigoshish, is hidden deep in the center of this wild natural landscape.

One of the things that visitors love about Lake Winnibigoshish is that the water is astonishingly clear. Bur is it really as clean as it appears? There's obviously no denying what you can see with your own eyes, but exactly how clean the lake is depends on what criteria you are using. Lake Winnibigoshish's clean reputation was solidified when an analysis from lake.com, a rental company focusing on lakeside vacation spots, sorted through data from the National Water Quality Monitoring Council. They ranked lakes based on factors like how oxygen rich the water is versus how much chemical ammonia, lead, phosphorus, and sulfate could be found in it. It was determined that, based on this criteria, Winnibigoshish is one of the top 10 cleanest lakes in the entire country.

These results seem to be partially backed up by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, which reported that the water was clean and safe enough for people (though they wouldn't recommend eating the fish that live there!), but less so by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Watershed Health Assessment Framework, which gave the lake a 60 out of 100 based on water quality, biology, and hydrology tests of the water. You definitely wouldn't want to drink the untreated lake water, no matter how clear it appears, but you can definitely swim in it. Regardless of the lake's scores, there's no denying that the clear waters of Winnibigoshish Lake are a breathtaking sight.

If you're planning a trip to Chippewa National Forest because you want to see Lake Winnibigoshish, the most obvious choice is a summer trip. It's warm enough to swim, and you can easily camp in the recreation area near Winnibigoshish Dam. If you don't plan to actually go into the lake, though, spring and fall are both beautiful options.

Not only is the forest less crowded in the spring, but Chippewa National Forest also becomes a mesmerizing place to see wildflowers in bloom. It can also be great hiking weather. The Winnie Dam Trail is a short loop that takes you right along the lakeshore, so you'll get plenty of opportunities to admire its perfectly clean, clear waters. 

In the fall, you'll get to enjoy a particularly gorgeous version of those views. The unbelievable fall foliage reflected back at you from the mirror-like lake surface is well worth the trip to see it. However, a winter trip is only for the most intrepid travelers who are ready to take on heavy snows and frigid temperatures. People also ski, snowshoe, and snowboard in the forest, so if you're up for an adventure, there are plenty of things to do here even when Lake Winnibigoshish freezes solid.